In this 1.5-day intensive, we’ll go through all aspects of making a full spectrum of dyes from wild mushrooms and lichens. Through hands-on experience, you will get a thorough grasp of how to work with mushroom and lichen dyes on wool and the effects of mordants and modifiers. We will use a simple dye-resist technique to make an elegantly designed scarf and then exhaust the remaining bold colors from the left-over dye pots. At the end of class, you’ll have a tool kit for exploring mycology through the lens of the arts and will be equipped to start dye testing right away in your own lab or kitchen!
Topics covered in the intensive:
Expanding our mushroom identification skills - exploring the hosting tree communities, the make-up of the forest floor, and the key characteristics of the fruiting bodies we encounter
Samples of our finds will be documented and added to the collective table for all to observe with any abundant dye species going to our dye pots.
Testing, extracting and optimizing the natural dye makers of the region.
Fiber mordanting overnight and dyeing a silk scarf and exhausting the dye baths.
You will receive:
A rainbow of mushroom-dyed samples
A recipe card detailing our process
A color guide to the best local dye species
An instructional handout to continue explorations at home.
Bring your own washed wool or silk yarn, labeled and secured in loose 1 oz. hanks. No mordant necessary, we will mordant directly in the pot.
**There is a $40 supply fee payable to the instructor in the beginning of class.**